CC 100- (6) History of Criminological Theory

To be good, a theory must be logical , with premises that support a conclusion

Good theory should make [blank_start]statements or propositions[blank_end] about reality that can be tested

KEY: [blank_start]theories[blank_end] do not emerge in isolation but, rather reflect what has gone on in the past and what is happening at the time of being proposed

Positivist School- notion of criminality as an inherited (genetic) propensity

Chicago School:

Theories of crime inspired by Religious beliefs & superstition:

Blaming social problems on the Devil was a means to achieve 2 objectives: 1. diversion of [blank_start]attention[blank_end] away from failings and placed blame on individuals who were possessed 2. those in power made themselves indispensable by saying only they could stop the Devil distinction between [blank_start]sin and crime[blank_end] was blurred (rise of influence of civil & religious authority) Witches became a [blank_start]scapegoat[blank_end] for anger

the Enlightenment:

Classical school of criminology c[blank_start]hallenged[blank_end] the way criminals were dealt with, c[blank_start]riticized[blank_end] absence of due process, and a[blank_start]rgued[blank_end] the death penalty & use of torture to extract confessions

people voluntarily enter a social contract with the state:

Core Principles: Human beings as rational, logical actors [blank_start]Hedonism[blank_end]- view that pleasure is the primary good, pursuit of pleasure [blank_start]Utilitarianism[blank_end]- philosophy suggests reasoned decisions will produce the greatest good for the greatest # [blank_start]Free Will-[blank_end] choices are not conditioned or determined by factors external to itself

Cesare Beccaria:

Jeremy Bentham:

Classical theory of crime emerged from the rational criminal -penalties deter people from breaking law -punishment should fit crime and be proportional to harm done to society -to be effective punishment should be swift and certain

Examples of Classical School Thinking in modern CJS: 1. [blank_start]Codification of Criminal Offences[blank_end] - list of possible penalties/sentences for violation of law 2. [blank_start]Presumption of Innocence[blank_end]- right to fair trial, to know the case 3. [blank_start]Legal Concepts of Mens Rea[blank_end]- (Criminal Intent) 4. [blank_start]Contemporary Prisons[blank_end]- notion of imprisonment as form of punishment

Early Biological Theories:

Cesare Lombroso (father of modern criminology) first to systematically apply scientific method to study of criminality concluded that criminals were:

Enrico Ferri coined term "Born Criminal" - concept described the biologically determined criminal

different offenders had different stigmata: e.g. robbers have small, shifting, quick moving eyes deviant women were almost always : brunette, masculine, heavy eyebrows & thin lips

Phrenology sought to determine an indvidiuals:

Lombrosos scientific method was flawed because:

this involved objectively mapping the relationship between human physique, personality & criminal propensity:

[blank_start]Somatotyping[blank_end] involved mapping the relationship between human physique, personality & criminal propensity Linked 3 distinct body types with behavioural dispositions: -The [blank_start]Asthenic[blank_end] (skinny, frail & weak) -The [blank_start]Athletic[blank_end] (muscular) -The [blank_start]Pyknic[blank_end] (short & round) Devised 3 Typifications: (a) [blank_start]Ectomorph[blank_end]-lean, fragile, introspective, sensitive, nervous (b) [blank_start]Mesomorph[blank_end] - hard, muscular, rectangular, restless, energetic, insensitive (c)[blank_start]Endomorph[blank_end] - soft, round, easygoing, sociable, self-indulgent

delinquents possessed a mesomorphically dominant somatotype

The XYY genotypes:

[blank_start]Free will[blank_end]: -[blank_start]classical[blank_end] school -humans born [blank_start]without[blank_end] instincts -individuals make rational choices -crime is violation of social contract -solution to crime is [blank_start]deterrence[blank_end] [blank_start]Determinism[blank_end]: -[blank_start]Positivist[blank_end] school -behaviour determined by inherited genetic makeup -crime is caused by disease ([blank_start]medical model[blank_end]) -solution to crime is [blank_start]treatment[blank_end]

Emile Durkheim:

Edwin Sutherland:

[blank_start]Conflict[blank_end]: -society, its laws, and legal system are rooted in social, political and economic conflict -those who have wealth and power get to decide what will be against the law & who will be targeted by legal authorities [blank_start]Consensus[blank_end]: -society and its laws are rooted in shared values & beliefs -society is viewed as a natural, organic entity that works to benefit all of its constituents -those who behave in a socially unacceptable manner are regarded as deviant or criminal (subject to punishment, incapacitation, or treatment)